“EVOLUTION OF PUNK” EPISODE 3 RECAP: Punk talks about mental toll of surgery setback and rehab, Punk at home cooking gingerbread cookies

By James Caldwell, Torch assistant editor

C.M. Punk UFC Documentary
“Evolution of Punk: The Ground Up”
Week 3 – August 29, 2016
Aired on Fox Sports 1

Up against Monday’s Raw, Fox Sports 1 aired the third installment of C.M. Punk’s documentary leading to his first UFC fight on September 10.

Week 3 started with Punk recapping how his shoulder injury happened. He was sparring and he heard a pop. Punk said the way it sounded and felt, he figured he was going to need shoulder surgery.

Off to Punk doing physical therapy post-surgery trying to regain strength in his shoulder. Punk said this setback severely depressed him. He told his P.T. that he wants to prove people wrong who think he’s just a “fake wrestler.”

Punk said the silver lining of the surgery is he got to rest the rest of his body. And hang out with his wife A.J. Lee and his sister. Punk was getting restless, though. Punk was shown watching reaction to his injury online, including people questioning whether he will ever fight.

[Commercial Break]

Back to Punk driving to Milwaukee talking about being depressed for three months after he got hurt. Punk said he wanted to fight in 2015, but it wasn’t going to happen.

Now, it’s November 2015 and he’s back at Roufusport to begin his training again. Punk finished a training session, then met up with a Make-A-Wish teenager. Punk invited him to hang out at a comic store on the day Drax #1 was released that he co-wrote. Punk grabbed a copy for them to read together, then thanked him for inspiring him to keep fighting toward his UFC goal.

[Commercial Break]

Back to Punk training for MMA. Punk worked on Jiu Jitsu techniques and started to get the hang for being well-rounded as a fighter. Punk was called to the front of the class to receive recognition for his advancement.

Now it’s Christmas Eve at the Punk household. And, A.J.’s gingerbread man is ruined by Punk drawing a penis on him. Punk and A.J. then worked on a gingerbread house project. Their dog got an early Christmas present, but didn’t seem to know what to do with it. A.J. tried to kiss Punk, who tried to be funny0-man no-selling her in front of the cameras.

[Commercial Break. A spot for UFC 203 aired featuring Miocic vs. Overeem as top billing, Werdum vs. Browne as second billing, and Punk vs. Mickey Gall as third billing. ]

Now it’s Week 52 of his training in January 2016. Punk said he wants to earn people’s respect when he climbs inside the cage for his MMA debut. Punk worked on an opponent in an unofficial training session, building team camaraderie with the other fighters at Roufusport.

Duke Roufus gave Punk a pep-talk that he’s getting closer to putting it all together. Punk said he needs an opponent or a target so that it’s not such a tedious task.

Meanwhile, Mickey Gall won a fight and called out C.M. Punk on Dana White’s “Looking For A Fight” reality show. Roufus was shown watching tape of Gall’s first MMA fight to assess Punk’s chances against him. Roufus talked to the striking coach about what gameplan they want to come up with to fight Gall.

And on next week’s final episode, they focus on Mickey Gall while Punk continues to battle medical setbacks. It’s the final build to UFC 203 next Monday night.

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